


Day 6 - Break My Heart

by MaxRev



Series: MER week drabbles [4]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Prompt Filler, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 19:44:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11192118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxRev/pseuds/MaxRev
Summary: These drabbles are for thewriter promptson tumblr during MER week by Cactuarkitty.





	Day 6 - Break My Heart

“I told you about Rahna. So, who was your first love?”

“What you’re really saying is,‘told you mine, now tell me yours.’ That about right?”

They were in Riley’s cabin, relaxing and spending a bit of down time together when the talk had turned towards growing up and what life had been like. It wasn’t like they hadn’t danced around the topic before. Still, Kaidan had been much more open about his past than she had. But this time, he’d told her the whole. Every detail.  

Giving her that lopsided smile, Riley couldn’t hold back a grin of her own. She could just imagine the younger version of him, head over heels in love with a young Rahna, beautiful as well as kind. Made her wonder what he saw in her, damaged goods and all. Though, truth be told, he did just about have her tied around his finger...not that she’d ever admit it.  

Well then. First love. It was something she never talked about -- with anyone. Those memories were just too painful.  

“Sure you want to hear all the silly details of young love?” Maybe she could avoid this conversation.  

“I embarrassed myself for you, didn’t I? Your turn now.”

He hadn’t seemed embarrassed at all as he relayed the whole story this time. In fact, he seemed to have come to terms with it. Mostly anyway.  

“Kaidan Alenko, I bet you had all the girls flocking to be around you.”  

Just as she expected, a blush spread across his face. It was just too much fun to tease him.  

“Not really.” He started to say something else but paused, eyes narrowing as he studied her. “Are you stalling, Riley?”

Answering confidently, she hoped it successfully hid her nervousness. She threw in a wink for good measure. “Not at all. Just don’t want to bore you to death.”

Laugh lines appeared at the corners of his eyes as his whole face lit up with a wide smile. “As if that was possible. Come on then, spill all those silly details.”

Taking a deep breath, she answered him, “Okay but remember, you asked for it.”

A strange look passed across his face -- apprehension? Riley wasn’t sure, gone too quickly to categorize it. She hadn’t meant to sound so ominous. Bracing herself, she might as well jump in with both feet. Despite personal conversations not being a strong point.

 

_A new family had moved into the empty farmhouse about a mile down the road. As with all new families, each of the other farms took turns, a couple hours each day, to bring them something homemade and to welcome them to Mindoir._

_I was ten and had finally been able to help my mother as she baked some bread for our new neighbors. We took that as well as some of our homemade jam and a jug of sweet tea. My father had gathered some little used tools together. He’d cleaned them up, sharpened them and made them look almost brand new._

_Together, we’d walked down the road to greet the new family. I waited behind my parents at the front door, attention drawn to a boy playing out back. Why wasn’t he working? At his age, older than she was for sure, he should have been in the fields. At ten, she was already working with her parents in the fields every day. Schooling was done in the afternoons at the kitchen table with her mother._

_The adults sat on the back porch, drinking tea and talking, learning the details about each other, talking about weather and crops. I had been ushered, by both women, to go meet the boy. His name was Daniel and he was twelve._

_Shyly, I walked over to him, unsure of what to say. I didn’t have a lot of friends. Most of the other kids I’d grown up with thought my daydreams about the stars was just emptied headed nonsense, most of the time making fun of me. They had jobs to do, studies every night. Same as me but they didn’t yearn for more, for something other than who they were._

_He was whittling a stick when I walked up. Softly, I spoke up, “Hi. My name’s Riley.”_

_Seemingly bored with this whole meeting, he looked sideways at me. “Daniel.”_

_Turning away from me, he went right back to whittling the stick. Introductions over, I wasn’t sure what to do._

_I do think I fell in love with him that day, though. He had thick, wild hair the color of wheat glowing in the sun; eyes the color of polished jade, ringed in a darker green like shade in a forest. I had only ever seen green like that in books, never expected to come face to face with them._

_His father called out from the porch, “Daniel.” That one word carried a world of meaning. I could see his shoulders tense up, but then they relaxed and he turned to me, a warm smile on his face. It transformed him._

_“Sorry. Sometimes I get lost in what I’m doing and don’t want to be interrupted. Nice to meet you, Riley.” His eyes weren’t on me but over my head, probably trained on his father._

_Could it be I might have found someone who understood me? Intrigued, I sat near him and told him to continue and I would just watch. He seemed surprised by my suggestion but I saw gratefulness flash across his face. The way we sat made it look to our parents that we were spending time together, getting to know each other. In fact, we barely said more than those first sentences. Thus, began our unusual but very strong friendship. One that over the years became deeper and more meaningful, as we became each other’s best friends, which became something more._

_Stolen moments were a regular occurrence, our parent’s turning a blind eye as they thought, rightly so, that one day we would marry. The only thing we kept from them was our true thoughts and dreams. We’d both thought of finding our way up into the stars above and soaring through them together._

_We would talk for hours, staring up at those twinkling lights, beckoning to us, daring us to resist our current paths and soar ever higher. As we grew older, our passions ignited other feelings, stronger emotions._  

 

As Riley had talked, the memories came faster, the emotions stronger. She hadn’t noticed when Kaidan had slipped his hand into hers. It brought her back to the present. Head resting on her knees, bent in front of her on the bed, she turned to look at him. Her hair fell forward covering most of her face and hopefully, he couldn’t see her eyes threatening to tear up.

Concern showed in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Riley. I didn’t know. You don’t have to continue.”

Letting go of his hand, she stretched out on the bed to stare out the skylight at the stars, sparkling brightly in the dark of the galaxy. Reaching out her hand for Kaidan, she felt the bed dip as he settled close to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. His warmth, the masculine scent of him comforted her and she relaxed, letting the memories wash over her again.

 

_We had actually gone so far as to pledge ourselves to each other. The day was warm, the sky a brilliant blue, an occasional white cotton cloud floating by. Neither of us had been able to concentrate on our tasks that day, though we didn’t know why. It didn’t matter. We were young, in love and had the whole world ahead of us. The only dark spot was how we were to break the news to our parents we wouldn’t be farming. We had bigger plans for our lives._

_Our parents smiled and shooed us off to the other’s house, letting us have some time together. Meeting in the middle of the path that ran between we ran together, kissing and holding each other close. I pulled away to gaze into those brilliant jade green eyes, ran my hands through soft hair that had gotten darker over the years. His face was strong and I could see the devastatingly handsome man he would become...and would be together forever._

_Grabbing my hand, he laughed with joy, the sound sweeping me up and carrying me along with it. I laughed too. There was a river that ran near our farms and we often went there. It was secluded, quiet, a peaceful oasis._

_It was there we made love for the first time. Awkward but so many emotions and I remember crying. But when he became worried that he’d hurt me, I assured him they were tears of happiness._

_We lay there, basking in this monumental glow of peace and a sense of rightness._

_And then everything turned dark._

_We heard screams, yelling, guns. I tried to hold him back at first. Something terrified me beyond what we heard and I couldn’t understand it._

_He insisted on trying to help and I knew he was right. So, we raced back together. He followed me to my farm first, and I can’t thank him enough for that. Our house was on fire. Batarions were everywhere. My parents were gone, there bodies lifeless on the ground, their blood draining into the earth._

_Not noticed yet, we turned towards his farm, hoping to find his parents alive. Tears tracked down my face but I didn’t even notice. My heart was heavy, I was completely numb. My wonderful parents were gone forever._

_At his farm, we found his father on his knees, hands behind his head, pleading with the Batarions to spare his wife. They shot her and she dropped to her knees. Daniel launched himself from where we hid, intent on doing something, though it was impossible. I wanted to run after him...tell him to stop, beg the Batarions to leave, to spare us but I was frozen. It felt like I was watching a movie unfold before me._

_His father yelled for him to run. The Batarion standing over him, raised his gun toward Daniel and fired. I screamed but the sound of the weapon drowned me out. His father heard me. Looking straight into my eyes, he wordlessly communicated with me to run. I hesitated and as I did, the Batarion laughed and shot Daniel’s father in the head. I watched his body drop as well._

_They looked around, searching for other survivors. Satisfied there were none, they took off down the road. I knew the people at the next farm. I wondered if I could make it there first but knew it was pointless. I wasn’t fast enough._

_Running towards Daniel, I didn’t care if I was caught. I wanted to die beside him. Lifting him in my arms, I held him in my lap, ran my hand through his soft hair. I would never see those beautiful eyes, hear his laugh, study the stars in the sky or gaze up at them in wonder with him by my side. My heart ripped in two. I wailed, not caring who heard me. What did it matter? Everything I cared about was gone._

_The sounds of gunfire echoed from further away and took some time before I realized there were different sounds to it. I heard the sound of heavy boots walking down the road towards where I sat but I was too numb to move._

_I continued to stare down at Daniel, never wanting to forget his face.  A hand gently touched my arm, a gentle but firm voice spoke, “He’s gone. I’m sorry we didn’t make it here in time to save him.”_

_I let Daniel go, channeling all my pain into anger, turning around and beating this soldier with my fists. They didn’t even try to stop me. Surprised, I looked up into the gentlest eyes I’d ever seen._

 

I was saved that day, though I live with the guilt that I should have been dead with my family, with Daniel and his family, with the other farmers who died that day.

It was quiet for a long time after that. Riley didn’t even bother to wipe away the tears as they fell from her eyes. Kaidan was silent for so long, Riley couldn’t even bring herself to look at him. Until his fingers gently grasped her jaw, turning her head towards him. His eyes were wet as well.

“I would take your pain if I could. I only know what you’ve told me about Daniel, his parents and yours, but I think they would all be proud of who you are today. I bet Daniel is probably watching you now, smiling at the fact that you’re really flying through the stars like the two of you had always dreamed. He might even be right next to you as you fly.”

Those words, perfect words, brought a bittersweet smile to her face. She snuggled in closer to Kaidan, letting his wise words and his love surround her and chase away the pain. It was luck indeed that she’d been fortunate to find two men like this in her life.


End file.
